5" tree, II

I think every needlepointer has stitches he/she prefers.  I know I have my favs.  I'm mentioning this because I am not crazy about bowties, and especially bowties that have to be compensated.  That said, I'm stitching them because they are what is called for in the stitch guide provided by Susan Roberts Needlepoint.  When I'm stitching a shop model of someone else's design, I follow their recommendations because it is less confusing for my customers.  Substitutions call for explanations and life is just easier, I have found, to go with the original program.  In my own stitch selection repertoire, however; you will not find bowties anywhere near the top 50 (unless they are in a straight row).  Whew!  Confession is good for the soul!!

I'm including this close-up of my first row of bowties.  If you look closely at the upright bowtie, second from the bottom, you will see that the top stitch is crossing from the wrong direction.  I'm glad I checked, because I am anal about things like that and it would bug be forever if I finished the whole thing and then spied that.  Many people wouldn't be bothered by it.  I say, more power to them.  You have to know yourself to know whether you can live with an error or have to frog it. 

Here you can see my progress after I had frogged and restitched.  Now I will be holding my nose and forcing myself to finish the basic layout of the bowties before I permit myself to add the finishing touches.